Joan Lunden shaves head in cancer fight

By Jane Caffrey, CNN

Updated 8:40 PM ET, Wed September 24, 2014

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Val Kilmer denied it in 2016 when a former co-star, Michael Douglas, said the actor was suffering from oral cancer. But during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session in April 2017, Kilmer said he "did have a healing of cancer."

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Devin Lima of LFO, seen here at the Grammys in 2006, was diagnosed in October 2017 with stage 4 adrenal cancer. His band mate, Brad Fischetti, delivered the news to fans via a video on social media.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus announced she has breast cancer in a post on her official Twitter account in September 2017. Louis-Dreyfus wrote that "1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I'm the one."

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"Grey's Anatomy" actress Kate Walsh revealed she was diagnosed in 2015 with a benign meningioma, a tumor that arises from the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Within three days, she had the tumor surgically removed.

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Former CNN talk-show host Larry King revealed in September 2017 that he underwent surgery for lung cancer. The former smoker said he was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer after receiving a chest X-ray.

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In August, "Real Housewives of Orange County" cast member Tamra Judge posted on Instagram that a freckle on her backside was diagnosed as melanoma. In January, she shared that she had surgery to remove other cancerous legions.

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Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood revealed in August that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer three months earlier. Wood, who chain-smoked for 50 years, tweeted that he is fine now after surgery and ready to head on tour with his band.

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Maria Menounos was diagnosed with a brain tumor after she began feeling lightheaded on set and suffering from headaches and slurred speech in February. Menounos' surgeon was able to remove nearly 100% of the tumor, which was benign.

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Comedian and writer Jeannie Gaffigan underwent nine hours of surgery May 1 to remove a tumor from her brain stem.

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"Bachelor" alum Lesley Murphy has used social media to document her fight against potentially getting cancer. In April, she had a double mastectomy after testing positive for the BRCA 2 gene mutation, which greatly increases a person's risk of developing breast cancer.

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Actor Ben Stiller revealed in October that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. The tumor was surgically removed three months later, in September 2014, and Stiller has been cancer-free since.

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Hugh Jackman recently underwent treatment for basal cell carcinoma, again, according to a social media post. The Australian actor has been treated for basal cell carcinoma at least four times.

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Jaime "Taboo" Gomez of the Black Eyed Peas revealed in November that he survived testicular cancer.

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In August 2015, actress Shannen Doherty confirmed to People that she is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She went public with the news after TMZ reported she was suing a former business manager, accusing her of letting the star's health insurance lapse. In August 2016, she said that the cancer has spread and she's had a single mastectomy.

Former Rolling Stone bass player Bill Wyman has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. An original member of the band, which formed in 1962, Wyman left the group in 1992. The 79-year-old is expected to make a full recovery.

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Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh took to Facebook to reveal he's battling bladder cancer. In an apology to fans for canceling a pair of concerts, Lesh announced he's received treatment at the Mayo Clinic and his prognosis is good.

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, 52, pulled out of the band's tour in June after his Hodgkin's lymphoma returned.

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Tommy Chong of Cheech & Chong, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, told Us magazine that he is undergoing treatment for rectal cancer. As he did for the prostate cancer, he's using marijuana to take the edge off: "I'm using cannabis like crazy now, more so than ever before," he told the magazine.

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Olivia Newton-John was first diagnosed in 1992, and the singer has become an advocate for breast self-examination.

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Actress Rita Wilson, who can be seen on HBO's "Girls," revealed April 14 that she is fighting breast cancer and has undergone a double mastectomy. She thanked her family, including husband Tom Hanks, and doctors for their support in a statement to People magazine.

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Fans of singer Morrissey knew the star had been ill after he canceled some U.S. tour stops in June, but it appears the performer has been battling cancer. "They have scraped cancerous tissues four times already, but whatever," Morrissey said in an interview with Spanish-language outlet El Mundo. "I am aware that in some of my recent photos I look somewhat unhealthy, but that's what illness can do. I'm not going to worry about that."

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When former "Good Morning America" host Joan Lunden learned she was facing an "aggressive" form of breast cancer, she was determined to face her health battle head on. Knowing she would need chemotherapy, Lunden decided to remove her familiar blond hair before her locks could be affected by the treatment. "You know it's going to happen one of these days and you are wondering how or when," Lunden explained to People magazine, which she posed for without her wig in September. "So I just owned it."

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Celebrities and battles with cancer – Hugh Jackman posted a picture to Instagram in November showing his nose bandaged after his doctor found and removed a cancerous growth.

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Former "Dancing With the Stars" co-host Samantha Harris was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. Harris told People magazine she detected a lump during a self-exam and then followed up with a specialist after receiving a clean mammogram.

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Actress Brittany Daniel of "Sweet Valley High" and "The Game" fought stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Daniel recalls in an issue of People magazine that her 2011 diagnosis "happened so suddenly," but she was able to face it with the support of her family.

ABC's Amy Robach found out she had breast cancer in November 2013 after she had a mammogram done live on "Good Morning America" for cancer awareness month.

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Radio personality Robin Quivers quietly battled cancer for months, but she had happy news to share with "Howard Stern" listeners in September 2013. On the show, Quivers revealed that her doctors believe she's cancer-free after receiving treatment, including chemotherapy.

Sharon Jones held off plans to tour and release a new album with the Dap-Kings after being diagnosed with stage 1 bile duct cancer in 2013.

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Michael Douglas offered some interesting insight as to how he may have developed the throat cancer that he was diagnosed with in August 2010. Douglas later told the "Today" show that his tumor was gone.

Actress Christina Applegate had a bilateral mastectomy in 2008. Doctors had diagnosed her with cancer in her left breast and offered her the options of either radiation treatment and testing for the rest of her life or removal of both breasts.

KISS band member Peter Criss sat down with CNN's Elizabeth Cohen in 2009, a year after his battle with breast cancer. The musician said he wanted to increase awareness of the fact that men can also get the disease.

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Cynthia Nixon not only joined the cast of Showtime's "The Big C," about a woman battling the disease, and portrayed a woman with cancer in the Broadway play "Wit" -- Nixon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.

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Zoraida Sambolin was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2013, and she chose to have a double mastectomy. Sambolin said that Angelina Jolie's New York Times opinion piece about undergoing the procedure gave her courage to share her story.

"Three's Company" star Suzanne Somers spoke with CNN's Piers Morgan in 2012 about her stem cell surgery and her bout with breast cancer. She was diagnosed in 2001, which is when she began researching alternative methods to reconstructive surgery.

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Joan Lunden opens up about breast cancer

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Lunden fights back against breast cancer

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Lunden fights back against breast cancer00:24

While she could have worn a wig for People's photo shoot, the longtime health advocate saw an opportunity to raise awareness.

"I had to make this big decision about whether or not to do the cover with no hair," Lunden told People. "It certainly isn't the comfortable way to go, but I decided I was going to try and help others and show women that this isn't the end of the world. You can go on -- and that was hugely empowering."

Lunden was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer in June. While sharing the news on "Good Morning America" that month, she got some valuable advice on the ABC program from breast cancer survivor and "GMA" co-anchor Robin Roberts.

"Robin told me waiting for your hair to fall out is excruciating. So I didn't want to wait," Lunden said. "When it starts to go, it's shocking, embarrassing and depressing. Pre-empt it. Get it shaved off. I did that. And I thought it was going to be like the biggest deal in the world. And you know what? I felt I didn't have it done to me. I walked in and I said, 'Do this.'"

After consulting with doctors, Lunden opted for an unconventional treatment plan that calls for chemotherapy -- as opposed to the typical mastectomy or lumpectomy -- with the goal of shrinking her tumors so surgery can be minimal.

"You have all these decisions to make, and you have to make them quickly. I had no choice but to go into warrior mode and take this head-on," Lunden told People.

After 12 weeks of chemotherapy, Lunden learned that two tumors had shrunk by nearly 95%. She was able to bypass the second and more difficult phase of chemotherapy, and after a September 23 surgery to remove the remaining mass she's now focusing on her recovery.

"I was handed an opportunity to learn everything that I can about this and try to help others," she said to People, "the opportunity to turn something bad into something good. And that is the most amazing thing."